Adapt Studios : Recording Process : Mixing : Tracking : Production : Mastering : Sound Engineer : Brisbane Recording Studio

The Recording Process

This page is to give artists a better understanding of how a typical day of recording unfolds in the studio.
After reading this page, please refer to our ‘prices page’ and click on the appropriate package for a more detailed outline.

Things can take longer in the studio then most people expect. The longer we have to record the better the result will be. So when choosing how many songs to record, be realistic and always pick your best and most well rehearsed songs. For a good demo for example, it is always better to have 2-3 great sounding songs rather then 4-5 rushed, unfinished songs. You can however book some additional time in the studio if needed, to polish up any unfinished tracks.

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Setting Up

Involves laying down backing tracks, setting up instruments & microphones and getting a good sound (we pride ourselves on getting the best sound possible). For example: Setting up, miking a whole band and getting a great sound through to the desk, can take 2 or more hours (depending on how much time you have to spend). If you just stick a microphone in front of an instrument you won’t always instantly get a great sound. In order to achieve a quality sound, it’s often necessary to try different mics & placements. We then pay close attention to EQ & compressor settings whilst listening carefully, until we reach the desired sound for that instrument. Also, better instruments will produce better quality sounds when recorded, so make sure you get new strings on those guitars and even new skins on drums (if possible) before recording.

Tracking:

This is the process of recording an instrument or band. It is usually the most time consuming part of the day. Be prepared to sit around waiting while your band mate records his tracks. In the studio you have the luxury of having as many takes as you like (or as many as time permits) to get a performance right. So make sure you are well rehearsed before coming into the studio. The tighter the band, the quicker and better result you will achieve.

Production:

This is the process of arranging and sculpting an artist’s songs. This can involve anything from small tips on performance/playing through to composition of additional parts. We like to see an artist’s songs reach their full potential and a little production can sometimes go a long way. However if you have a clear cut vision for your music we are more than happy to take a back seat. We also have a range of musicians available to play parts if needed.

Mixing:

Is the art of blending the recorded tracks to sound as good as possible. To achieve this, sounds are shaped using various techniques such as EQ, compression, delay, reverbs, effects, auto-tune on vocals etc (which can be time consuming). For a live recording we usually like to leave 2 or more hours at the end of the session for mixing (this is sometimes done at a later stage so the engineer has ‘fresh ears’). For multi tracked EPs or albums it will be a lot longer involving maybe one or more days of mixing to get everything sounding perfect.

Mastering:

This is the process in which the final mix is tweaked & polished to sound as good as possible before printing the tracks to a final CD. This is done by using various plug-ins, programs etc. For release quality recordings, we out source projects to a professional Mastering Suite such as ‘Matthew Grey Mastering.’ This can cost about $100 per song but is well worth the money spent.